We interviewed Chef Michael Simmons of Lula Café to learn more about asparagus and how he incorporates this delectable little vegetable into his cooking. Chef Simmons is an expert when it comes to cooking with seasonal and local ingredients. (CF = Chicago Foodies, MS = Michael Simmons)
- CF: When do you typically start incorporating asparagus on your menu?
- MS: Late winter/early spring-spring proper.
- CF: Why?
- MS: It's delicious, beautiful, and multi-dimensional. That is to say you can eat it raw, pickled, grilled, poached, shaved and as a soup – with breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s a fantastic little pointy veggie.
- CF: Is there is a varietal that you like to use over another? In your ‘6 minute duck egg’ dish I noticed that you used sprue, why?
- MS: I like them all, the big purple, green and white. We used the sprue because it is exactly the time for sprue. Sprue refers to the first shoots, or the very first asparagus of the season. This is thrilling because it sort of heralds the coming of all things spring in terms of veggies. This is the most exciting time for cooks because everything is fresh and green and bright.
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